To assess surgeons’ preferences regarding the type and duration of peri-operative antibiotic practices around HoLEP and identify specific factors influencing these practices, such as practice setting and patient characteristics.
Key Findings:
95.7% of urologists would prescribe a single-dose prophylactic antibiotic for patients without catheterization (p < 0.0001).
48.6% of urologists would provide additional prophylaxis for catheterized/intermittently self-catheterizing patients (p < 0.0001).
Private practice surgeons prescribed more post-operative antibiotics compared to academic or hospital-employed surgeons (75.0% vs. 64.6% vs. 11.0%, p = 0.015).
Surgeons with more experience tended to prescribe shorter durations of antibiotic treatment (p < 0.05).
Interpretation:
There is variability in antibiotic prophylaxis practices among urologists performing HoLEP, influenced by practice setting and patient catheterization status.
Limitations:
Low response rate (5.3%) may limit the generalizability of findings, as it may not accurately represent the broader urologic community's practices.
Survey responses may not reflect actual clinical practices due to potential biases in self-reporting.
Conclusion:
Standardized guidelines for antibiotic prophylaxis in HoLEP are needed to minimize post-operative infections and improve patient outcomes, especially given the current variability in practices.
by Seyed Mohammad Mohaghegh Poor, Hafsa Asif, Darion Denis-Diaz, Eric Riedinger, Tasha Posid, Maxwell Newton, Michael Sourial, Mark Assmus, Amy Krambeck, Bodo Knudsen, Matthew Lee
